Driver who killed beloved mum in deliberate crash refused bail

A man accused of deliberately driving into oncoming traffic after a break-up, killing an innocent woman on her way home from work, has been refused bail.

Michelle Wolff was killed in a crash at Harlin, northwest of Brisbane, in December 2021.

A man accused of deliberately crashing into oncoming traffic after a break up, killing an innocent mother on her way home from work, has been refused bail with a magistrate describing the alleged offending as the “most horrific and serious” imaginable.

Jacob Paul Johnston, 22, has been in custody for 15 months following the horror collision on the D’Aguilar Highway at Harlin that claimed the life of beloved mother-of-four Michelle Wolff.

He was charged with one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death following the crash in December 2021 in which his Mercedes Benz slammed into Ms Wolff’s Nissan Navara.

The Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday heard Johnston had since been hit with a fresh charge of attempting to corrupt a witness.

It’s alleged he wrote to his ex-girlfriend from prison, urging her to change her police statement relating to the dangerous operation offence.

Defence lawyer Elly Meshki said Johnston, who has been in custody for 476 days after previously being denied bail, had indicated he would be pleading guilty to both charges.

In a bail application before Magistrate Michael Quinn, Ms Meshki submitted Johnston was at risk of spending too much time in custody.

“The circumstances of offending can only be described as the most horrific and serious that really could be imagined where you deliberately drove your motor vehicle off a highway across the highway into oncoming traffic, it would appear as you were wanting to end your own life following the breakdown of a relationship, and a totally innocent member of the public driving home from work died as a consequence of the collision,” Magistrate Quinn said.

“Some time later in respect of the corruption of a witness charge, you made contact with a former partner, the partner it would appear the relationship with whom broke down almost immediately prior to you driving across into oncoming traffic, and you were encouraging her to change a statement that she had made to police.”

The magistrate said he was satisfied there was not a risk Johnston would serve too much time in custody.

“I’m satisfied the charges against you are very very serious and the prosecution case is strong,” he said.

“In any event you have indicated or your legal representative has indicated that you will be pleading guilty which means you are one step closer to a lengthy period of imprisonment being imposed.

“I note that as part of the strong case against you, it is clear that you were attempting to end your own life at the time when your driving killed an innocent member of the public … so there must be a concern that you ought remain in custody as well for your own safety given those concerns and the pleas of guilty to be entered.”

Magistrate Quinn refused Johnston’s bail application, saying he was satisfied there was an unacceptable risk he would commit further offences, interfere with prosecution witnesses, fail to appear or pose a danger to himself.

Johnston’s case will be mentioned again on July 31.